7 Ways to Protect Your New Home

Updated:
July 18, 2017

3 minute read

When moving into a new home, making it safe should top your list of priorities. For many, home and safety serve as synonyms. If you’ve just moved into a new home, consider taking these precautions to make your house as safe as possible.

1. Change the Locks

You really can’t know how many people might have keys to your home, even in a newly built house. Anybody who worked on the house or worked to sell the house probably has a key. You can’t always trust that those people will respect your home and belongings. As soon as you’ve arrived, you should change the locks on all the doors or anything else that uses a key or pin lock. Many modern homes use pin locks for any sliding glass doors or windows.

2. Protect Your Valuables

The process of protecting your stuff begins with prioritizing your valuables. Figure out what you can and cannot live without. For anything that makes the cut, put your name on it, preferably in a permanent way. Take pictures of your items and save receipts.

Do anything you can do to prove you own these items ensures your credibility if anything does happen. If the police find any of your belongings, it certainly helps them decide whether you truly owned them in the first place. Photos also give proof to insurance companies on the status and state of your possessions upon your move in.

3. Install a Security System

Installing a security system is something that also needs to get done as soon as possible, preferably before you spend your first night in the new home. If you owned a security system for your previous home, you can get help moving it into your new home.

If you don’t have a system, get a new one. Security systems don’t just offer alarms, but also security signs, lights, and video surveillance, as well as other options. Figure out what makes you feel safest. Some insurance companies will actually lower their rates if you let them know you have a security system installed.

4. Secure the Fence

Check your whole fence line out; see if you notice an holes or weak spots where anybody could easily come through. Keep your fence in top shape. This simultaneously keeps burglars out and keeps anybody playing in your backyards (pets or small children) from getting out. If you have a gate, make sure it’s working properly.

5. Meet Your Neighbors

Besides being the right thing to do, meeting your neighbors generally increases your safety in the neighborhood. Extend a helping hand, let them know you care about their safety and the safety of everyone around you. Creating a sense of community helps everybody feel safer, and increases our desire to help each other.

6. Secure Environmental Alerts

Check all the smoke alarms in the house. You might as well replace the batteries; you have no idea how long they’ve sat in the detector. You can also consider installing water and temperature monitors, depending on where you live, to help prevent any sort of natural disaster (like fires, floods, etc.).

7. Establish Unpredictable Patterns

If you worry about burglars, change up your schedule! Park your car in different places, make it unclear if you’re home or not. The less predictable your lifestyle, the harder it is for burglars to catch you by surprise. You can even use timers to set items or lights in your house on and off at random times, giving the illusion that somebody is home. Getting motion sensor lights may also help in scaring burglars away.

Of course, there many ways to make your home as safe as possible. What makes you feel safe at home?